Puce
Puce is a dark red or purple brown color,[1] a brownish purple[2] or a "dark reddish brown."[3]
| Puce | |
|---|---|
 Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #CC8899 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (204, 136, 153) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (345°, 33%, 80%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (64, 43, 356°) |
| Source | 99colors.net |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Dark pink |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
Etymology
The colour is said to be the color of bloodstains on linen or bedsheets, even after being laundered, from flea droppings, or after a flea has been crushed.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) dates the first English use of "puce" as a color to 1778.[4] The name comes from the French word puce, or flea, which comes from the Latin word for flea, pulex (stem pulic-). According to the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, the first French use of puce as a color name, meaning flea-color, dates to the 17th century.[5] A different source dates the first French use of puce as a color name to the 14th century.[6]
History
The color puce became popular in the late 18th century in France. It appeared in clothing at the Court of Louis XVI, and was said to be a favorite color of Marie Antoinette, though there are no portraits of her wearing it.[7][8][9]
Puce was also a popular fashion color in 19th-century Paris. In one of his novels, Émile Zola described a woman "dressed in a gown of a dark color...between puce and the color of goose poop (caca d'oie)."[10] Victor Hugo wrote in Les Misérables, "[...] Mademoiselle Baptistine gentle, slender, frail, somewhat taller than her brother, dressed in a gown of puce-colored silk, of the fashion of 1806, which she had purchased at that date in Paris, and which had lasted ever since."[11]
Variations of puce
Puce (ISCC-NBS)
| Puce (ISCC-NBS) | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #722F37 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (114, 47, 55) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (353°, 59%, 45%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (29, 45, 7°) |
| Source | ISCC-NBS |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Dark red |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
The color to the right is the color called puce in the ISCC-NBS Dictionary of Color Names (1955). Since this color has a hue code of 353, it is a slightly purplish red.
Puce (Maerz and Paul)
| Puce (M&P) | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #A95C68 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (169, 92, 104) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (351°, 46%, 66%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (48, 51, 4°) |
| Source | Maerz and Paul |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Moderate red |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
The color box to the right shows the color called puce in the 1930 book by Maerz and Paul, A Dictionary of Color;[12] the color puce is displayed on page 37, Plate 7, Color Sample H4.
Puce (Pourpre color list)
| Puce (Pourpre color list) | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #4E1609 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (78, 22, 9) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (11°, 88%, 31%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (17, 38, 18°) |
| Source | Pourpre.com |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Deep brown |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
At right is the color called puce in the Pourpre.com color list, a color list widely popular in France. This is the original puce, from which all other tones of puce ultimately derive.
Puce (Pantone)
| Puce (Pantone) | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #4F3A3C |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (79, 58, 60) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (354°, 27%, 31%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (27, 12, 6°) |
| Source | Pantone TPX[13] |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Dark grayish reddish brown |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
The color at right is called puce in the Pantone color list.
The source of this color is the "Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #19-1518 TPX—Puce.[14]
In popular culture
- In the vintage-bottle-collecting hobby, "puce" is amongst the most desirable colors.[15]
- In the King Arthur legends, Sir Gareth fights Sir Perymones, who is called "The Puce Knight".[16][17]
- In Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), Jeffrey Kramer's character, Towser, picks the color puce for the color of Patch the Elf's (Dudley Moore) lollipop. He describes the color as "like fuchsia, but a shade less lavender and a bit more pink." He also mentions to his boss, B.Z. (John Lithgow) that if the lollipop is a success, the company can come out with a "Puce Juice".
- The comic strip Pogo had a running gag throughout much of 1962 involving "Puce Trading Stamps," a spoof of then-popular trading stamps, many of which were identified by their color.[18] The joke was that Puce Stamps could not be redeemed and were therefore worthless, sparing recipients the time needed to save them.
- In the 1980s, the phrase "hairy puce blorgs" was used satirically in articles of The Ubyssey, the UBC student newspaper.[19]
See also
References
- Oxford English Dictionaries on-line
- Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition: "a brownish purple."
- Random House College Dictionary: "a dark or brownish purple," - "Brun rouge assez foncé." Le Petit Robert (1988).
- "puce" in Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed,
- The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, (1966) Oxford University Press
- Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 202; Color Sample of Puce: Page 37 Plate 7 Color Sample H4--the color sample shown as puce in Maerz & Paul is a tone of puce halfway between the U.S. and U.K. versions of puce: Puce (Maerz & Paul)
- Clair, Kassia St (2017-10-24). The Secret Lives of Color. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-5247-0494-0.
- "The Sexy-Gross Story of Puce". The Awl. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- Moonlight, Under The (2020-07-14). "Puce Was Once The Height Of 18th Century French Fashion For A Second". Under The Moonlight. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
- "Vétue d'une robe sobre...entre le puce et le caca d'oie." Le Petit Robert.
- Wikisource:Les Misérables/Volume 1/Book Second/Chapter 2
- Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill
- Type the word "Puce" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color appears.
- Pantone TPX Pantone Color Finder--Type the word "Puce" into the indicated window on the Pantone Color Finder and the color appears:
- von Mechow, Tod (September 30, 2010). "Bottle Attributes – Beer Bottle Colors". Soda & Beer Bottles of North America. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
- Smith, Bret (December 25, 2008). "Paladin (Part 3C) – The Knights of the Round Table (con't)". The Grumblin' Grognard. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
- Search result, Puce Knight: Sir Thomas Malory; Keith Baines (October 12, 2001). Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table : The Classic Rendition. Penguin. pp. 146, 147, 149, 152, 159. ISBN 978-0-451-52816-2. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
- Kellt, Walt (2020). Pogo: Pockets Full of Pie, The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips, Vol. 7. Fantagraphics Books. p. 326. ISBN 978-1-68396-376-9.
- "Untitled". The Ubyssey. Vancouver. February 11, 1983. Retrieved September 24, 2023.